Alhambra Walk & Talk Tour on March 19 (Before Zoning Public Hearings)

James Rojas with Alhambra residents (Photo – Ari G. Arambula)

ALHAMBRA – ColoradoBoulevard.net:

Free community event on Sunday, March 19 with Urban Planner James Rojas.

By Ari G. Arambula

Renowned Urban Planning expert, James Rojas, will lead a “Walk and Talk” tour of the Alhambra’s East Main Street Commercial Corridor.  The community event is planned to answer neighbors’ questions and concerns about the upcoming zoning update, including concerns about increasing density for housing units and building heights up to 75 feet.  The event is free, open to the public, and scheduled from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on Sunday, March 19, 2023. The meetup will be at 9:30 am at the corner of S. Chapel Avenue at East Main Street in Alhambra.

Prioritizing People in Land Use Policy

Mr. Rojas is a national expert on community engagement for urban development, who happens to have grown up in Alhambra. This will be the second such community tour in the area.  The first, in the summer of 2021, was well received by neighbors who stated they learned a lot about their own town.  Some even suggested it should be a regular education program for residents. Covered in the tour is information on the urban development of the area, the architectural features of the buildings, how natural geographical boundaries are determined, and the positive and negative effects of government policies.

Preventing Unintended Consequences

The City of Alhambra is in the midst of updating the Housing and Zoning elements of its General Plan. The City’s Development Department has indicated that updates for these had not occurred for decades. However, residents are concerned that pressure from the California Housing and Community Development (HCD) to increase housing in the city by 22% will lead the City of Alhambra to make changes that are not beneficial to the city’s long term viability.  “Understanding the residents’ priorities for urban development is critical in winning their support in housing and zoning updates,” explains James Rojas. “Understanding features of urban development is a good way for residents to form and provide input to city planners,” he added.

> Alhambra’s Planning Commission continues to discuss the City’s proposed zoning changes.  The next meeting is on March 20, 2023, 7:00 pm.  For more information on the city’s housing element and zoning update, visit the city’s website.  For the Planning Commission Agenda click here.